Tamil Nadu’s interim Budget to be presented on February 17: Speaker Appavu

The State’s interim Budget for the financial year 2026-2027 will be presented in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly on February 17, Speaker M. Appavu has said.

Speaking to reporters in Tirunelveli on Saturday (February 7, 2026), Mr. Appavu said the next Assembly session would commence on February 17 at 9.30 a.m., with Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu presenting the State’s interim Budget ahead of the Assembly elections to be held either in April or May this year.

The Finance Minister will also present in the House the demand for advance grants for the year 2026-2027 and additional expenditure for 2025-2026 for its approval, on February 20, Mr. Appavu said.

“The Business Advisory Committee will meet to decide the exact number of days of the upcoming Assembly session,” the Speaker said.

Live telecast of session

When asked about the live telecast of the entire Assembly session without interruptions, as was being done in a few States, Mr. Appavu said it would happen soon, as desired by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin. He added that only the censored versions of Assembly sessions were being telecast live in some States.

“We are televising live the question hour and the Ministers’ replies. Soon, we will livestream the debates on demand for grants, too. It will be decided by the Business Advisory Committee and hence, it cannot be discussed with the media. The digitisation of the Assembly proceedings of the past is going on, and anyone in any part of the world can get access to it,” the Speaker said.

On the Opposition parties’ repeated complaints that the live telecast of their speeches in the Assembly were deliberately being interrupted, Mr. Appavu denied the claim, saying that each member was given a designated time to present their points in the Assembly, which was being televised live without any interruption.